How does the inflammation process in our bodies work? What are the steps and why does this happen?

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How does the inflammation process in our bodies work? What are the steps and why does this happen?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

This is a hugely broad question with a complicated and incomplete answer, but *very* generally speaking:

Inflammation is a state of heightened alert that enhances immune functioning at the cost of disrupting most normal functioning.

It generally requires some stimulus to get started, which can be signs of pathogen presence (like LPS from bacteria), signs of damage/distress to other host cells (like free-floating DNA, which is “supposed” to stay inside cells unless they die in uncontrolled ways), or proinflammatory signaling within the host (TNF is a very well known factor in this). The latter you can think of as signal amplification; you go on alert because the guy next to you does too, or because some other signal tells you to, in the absence of knowing/detecting the cause yourself.

While in a state of inflammation, tissue becomes more accessible for various cells of the immune system and soluble factors like antibodies and complement. It also makes those cells more aggressive about their decision making (not actual conscious decisions of course, but more like chemical balances), gears up their metabolism to enable greater mobility/protein synthesis/etc, and generally improves their ability to deal with pathogens.

Inflammation generally resolves when the “original” reasons for it are dealt with, leading to fewer pro-inflammatory signals being present anti-inflammatory signals tipping the balance back.

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